


No More Tears

by TrekFaerie



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abuse, Drunkenness, Emetophobia, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Familial Abuse, Identity Issues, Kissing, Pregnancy, Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 05:06:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8088439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrekFaerie/pseuds/TrekFaerie
Summary: Steven thought announcing Connie's pregnancy would go a lot smoother.





	

**Author's Note:**

> are there enough tags. god let there be enough.

He didn't know what he'd expected to happen. Well, no, that's a lie; actually, he'd known exactly what he'd expected. He'd expected that the Gems would be overjoyed with the news and celebrate alongside Greg and Connie's parents, and maybe enjoy some nice coffee cake or something.

But, seconds after Steven and Connie had turned to them with wide, beaming smiles and said, in unison, "We're pregnant!" Pearl had literally thrown herself out of the Maheswaran's front window and disappeared into the night.

He had not expected that.

He left Connie to calm her parents and Greg to awkwardly insist on paying for repairs. Amethyst and Garnet were outside, but only Garnet spoke to him, putting her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I don't think you should go after her," she'd said softly. When he broke away from her and kept walking anyway, she didn't stop him.

(About halfway home, he overheard a frightened storeowner telling a policeman that a strange woman had burst into his shop and stolen his entire stock of baby shampoo.)

She wasn't in the house. He worried that she'd gone off somewhere else, that he'd have to start jumping into the portal and crossing his fingers-- until he noticed that the portal to her room was still active. As if she'd forgotten to close it.

Pearl's room was in turmoil. It kept changing rapidly, too rapidly, into different scenes. Some he knew, like the battlefield; others were strange, alien to him. Even those seemed familiar in some way, though. 

He followed a trail of empty baby shampoo bottles farther into the room until he found her, swaying unsteadily with her back turned towards him. Her shoulders shook violently.

"Pearl," he said, taking a tentative step closer, "talk to me. Please, Pearl, just talk--"

"I can't lose you _again_ , Rose!"

She turned to him, eyes filled to the brim with tears, and though she still moved with her usual grace, she nearly slipped and fell-- and would have, had Steven not rushed forward and grabbed her by the upper arm.

"I can't go through this again!" It was hard to make out what she was saying through the wracking sobs. "I can't! I won't survive it this time!"

"Pearl, I'm not going anywhere," he said as gently as he could, rubbing her arms. "I know we kinda worded it a bit badly, but Connie's the one that's pregnant, not me. We're going to have a weird, probably human baby. I'm not going anywhere."

"I can't, Rose!" He'd never seen her like this before. How many bottles had he passed on his way in? "I can't handle it! I love you! Don't you understand? I love you!"

And then, she kissed him.

Her mouth, sour with the taste of soap, was hard and awkward against his, and she pulled away with a frustrated expression. He'd never thought about it before that moment, but he guessed that kissing him was just a little bit different than kissing his mom. Less soft. More hairy.

His head hit the floor with a solid thunk. Her hands, small and pale and shaking, were pressed down hard against his chest. It was rare that he remembered that despite everything, he was still only half a Gem, and a full-blown Gem was always bound to be much physically stronger than him. If Pearl wanted him on the ground, he had no say in the matter.

"I can love you the way he can. I know you think I can't..." Her face flushed a deep turquoise. "But, I've watched. The two of you. I watched every time and you know what a fast learner I am, Rose..."

"Pearl," he said, as weak as his attempts to push her off him, "it's Steven. You know that! I'm not Rose; I'm Steven!"

"Shh, Rose. Rose, Rose, Rose. My beautiful Rose..." She leaned forward, as if to kiss him again...

... And made an awful retching noise, shortly before covering Steven's entire face, hair to beard, with sickly yellowish bile, and collapsing face-first in it.

Everything was so quiet, after. He thought he could even hear the ocean. But, it was only his breathing, heavy and shaky, and the sound of his hand gently combing through her hair as she wept, huge wracking sobs, into the mess.

She fell into something like unconsciousness, hopefully dreamless and calm, and he carried her to the couch and cleaned her up before he even started to think about himself. He washed his face in the bathroom sink, put on one of the shirts he always kept there for the nights he stayed over... He considered waiting for Garnet and Amethyst to return, to be sure she wouldn't be alone, but sitting in the dark and watching the slow rise and fall of her chest made his skin feel too tight.

He walked all the way to his and Connie's apartment. He saw the light on in the window, despite the hour. He smoothed out his shirt and walked up the stairs, to be with his family.


End file.
